This story originally made headlines in March 2017 and has since resurfaced due to its viral nature. A bizarre video filmed in Santa Fe, Argentina, captured worldwide attention after it showed what appeared to be a strange creature with “two heads, three eyes, and odd-looking skin.” The clip quickly racked up over 19 million views as people tried to figure out what this snake-like animal really was.

The creature was discovered by Lujan Eroles, who posted the video to Facebook. Within days, it had been shared more than 180,000 times, sparking wild speculation online. Some joked that it looked like a Pokémon, while others guessed it might be a new species of worm. For weeks, no one could agree on what it actually was.

Eventually, scientists identified the mystery animal: it was a hawk moth caterpillar. These caterpillars have an incredible defense mechanism called mimicry. When threatened, they puff up their tail to look like the head of a snake—complete with eye-like markings and even a “blinking” effect to scare off predators.

While its appearance may be unsettling, the caterpillar is completely harmless to humans. It’s just one of nature’s many examples of how animals adapt in surprising and clever ways to survive. This fascinating case is a reminder of how much we still have to learn from the natural world—and how something strange at first glance might just be a brilliant trick of evolution.